Hose-coupling.



J, J. KEANE HOSE COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. '3. 19M.

1,283,207., Patented Oct. 29, 1918.

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ITEM @TATEd PATENT UFIIUE.

JOHN J. KEANE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, AS'SIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO SAM LAZARUS AND ONE-FOURTH TO MICHAEL C. H. ARENDES, BOTH OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

HOSE-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 29, 1918.

Application filed November 13, 1914. Serial No. 871,895.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN J. KEANE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of St. Louis, Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hose-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relatesto improvements in hose couplings and will be recognized as being of the well known Sewall or gravlty type which has long been in almost umversal use on the railroads of this country.

The main object of my invention is to provide a coupling in which the meeting ends of the conduit members may be adjusted toward or from each other after the coupler heads have been placed in interlocked relation, and also to facilitate the uncoupling without injury to the abutting ends of the conduit members by providing means whereby they may be separated before the heads are uncoupled. A further object of my 111- vention is to protect or house the ad usting devices for the conduit members so that they will not only be protected from mechanlcal injury, but will be shielded to a large extent from the flying dirt and cinders which are constantly flying beneath the train and are forcibly swept along by the suction created by the rapidly moving train.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a coupling embodylng my invention and showing a pair of coupler heads in interlocked relation, and Figs. 2 and 3 are side elevations of the respective coupler heads.

The coupling comprises two matmg coupler heads 5 and 6 which are identical n construction, so that they are universal in use. They may be made of the standard size so that they may be coupled with any of the standard coupler heads of the usual standard type. Each coupler head is formed with an L-shaped body, havmg transverse rear portions 3 and 4, respectively and w1th forwardly extending arm portions 5 and 6 respectively. Each of the rear transverse portions is providedwith an undercut lug 7 and the arm portions are provided with undercut lugs 8, the lugs 7 engaging the complemental lugs 8 when the heads are interlocked in the usual manner. As is well understood, when a pair of coupler heads'is to be coupled, the heads are brought together with the adjacent ends inclined upwardly somewhat at an angle so that when they are permitted to swing downwardly into a horizontal position the lugs will interlock and will be held in this position by gravity. In some cases it may be desirable to prevent the heads from becoming accidentally lifted and uncoupled and I have, therefore, shown each head provided with a pivoted catch member 9 which may be swung across the adjacent head after the parts are in interlocked position as shown in Fig. 1. Ordinarily, however, it is usually preferable not to employ any catch members as the weight of the heads will hold them in proper position and in case the cars should become uncoupled, thereby placing a strain or pull upon the train pipe hose, the coupling heads will be slightly inclined upwardly and the lugs will become disengaged, thereby permitting the coupler heads to become uncoupled, as is well understood by all trainmen.

I provide each of the head portions 3 and 4 with longitudinal apertures or bores of the proper size to receive the conduit members 15, 16, which are slidable therethrough and may be provided with an exterior groove 18 to receive the ends of the bolts or pins 19 which prevent rotation of the conduit members while they are being adjusted longitudinally within the heads. The ends of the hose 17 may be secured in any suitable manner to the outer ends of the conduit members. For the purpose of moving the conduit members forward or backward withinthe heads, I thread their inner ends to receive the thumb-nuts 13, 14, constituting the adjusting devices. In order to pretect these adjusting nuts from mechanical injury and also to shield them from the cloud of cinders and flying particles which are constantly swept along underneath the train, instead of forming the heads in the usual manner so that the meeting faces will closely abut as shown by Sewall in his Patents Nos. 363,553 and 375,572 granted in 1887, I form the heads with enlarged recesses to receive the adjusting nuts 13, 14 so that they will be housed by the inner walls of the heads about said recesses. For the reason that I have, as it were, cut away the meeting faces of the heads to form said recesses, I may provide the arm portions with inwardly extending lugs 20 adapted to engage the faces 11 and 12 when the heads are interlocked, these lugs thereby cooperating with the undercut lugs 7 and 8 in main taining the parts in position.

The operation of my coupling will be understood from the foregoing description of the parts. The coupler heads are interlocked in the well-known manner by bringing them together at an angle with their adjacent ends inclined upwardly so that the under-cut lugs of each coupler will be in position to engage the complementary lugs of the other member, after which the heads are dropped into horizontal position which locks them together with the bores of the conduit members in alinement. If it is desired to prevent accidental uncoupling, the catch members 9 may then be swung across in a position shown in Fig. 1. Assuming that the conduit members 15, 16 had been previously left in such position that when coupled their meeting ends would be slightly separated, the adjusting devices 13, 14, may then be turned to bring the ends of the members into their proper closely adjacent relation. F or the purpose of illus tration, I have deemed it sufficient to merely show the conduit members as provided with threaded ends, the present invention pertaining solely to the manner of adjusting the conduit members within the coupler heads. As is well. known, however, gaskets are invariably applied at the abutting ends of the conduits, as illustrated in the original Sewall patents above mentioned or as shown in Roberts Patent 481,196 or Hayes Patent #1,085,606, where the ends of the conduit members are threaded to receive the gaskets.

I have described in detailthe particular construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings for the purpose of clearly disclosing my invention, but it will be understood by engineers that various modifications and changes may be made within the scope of my claim and without in any manner departing from'my invention.

In a railway train pipe hose coupling of the Sewall type, wherein mating coupler heads, each having alongitudinal bore, are provided with means for eiiecting a preliminary engagement and are held in substantially normal coupled alinement by gravity, the combination with a conduit member slidably mounted within each of the heads, of a manually operated adjusting device connected" to the conduit member to move it within the bore of the head, the head being provided with a recess the walls of which forms a housing about the adjusting device.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN J. KEANE.

Witnesses:

W. L. Porrnnnnnenn, Jas. L. HOPKINS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. i 

